This invention relates to a sewing machine, particularly to a sewing machine in which at least one pattern is selected from a storage apparatus storing multiple patterns, the arrangement of at least two selected patterns is stored, the stored arrangement is sequentially read, a sewing mechanism is driven, and the selected pattern is stitched.
A related-art sewing machine can stitch a pattern such as a name of a student or the student's school name on fabric when an operator repeatedly operates numeral keys to select characters by combining the characters to form the names.
In the related-art sewing machine, stitch data for each pattern is stored beforehand in a ROM of a microcomputer provided in the sewing machine so that the sewing mechanism of the sewing machine is driven to stitch the pattern on fabric. When the operator repeatedly enters input numbers with the numeral keys, a pattern number representing the pattern designated by the input number is arranged and stored in a RAM. By reading the pattern numbers sequentially from the RAM, the stitch data corresponding to the pattern numbers is sequentially read from the ROM. Consequently, the sewing mechanism of the sewing machine is driven and the pattern is formed on fabric.
However, in this related-art sewing machine, when a new arrangement of the patterns is designated, the new pattern number is stored in the RAM. Therefore, every time a new pattern is selected, the operator must again operate the numeral keys to enter the arrangement of the patterns into the RAM. The operation of entering the pattern is thus troublesome. For example, when power source is cut, the pattern number stored in the RAM disappears, and the operator must again operate the numeral keys to enter the pattern. Similarly, when the same pattern is formed on fabric many times, the pattern must be entered every time the pattern is formed. The operation of entering the pattern is thus time-consuming.
When the pattern number of the pattern is stored in a nonvolatile memory unit for reuse instead of in volatile RAM in the related-art device, the troublesome input operation is saved should power be cut. However, patterns for only one use are stored in the nonvolatile memory unit.